A Queer Review of the Austin Film Festival (2023)
Highlighting the many ways in which AFF 2023 illustrated that the queer experience is not a monolithic one.

In America, most female homicide victims are killed by their current or former partner and one in 4 women experience domestic violence or abuse. In this special documentary for ITV's acclaimed Exposure strand, the Bafta and Emmy-winning filmmaker Deeyah Khan asks a simple question : is it possible to reduce these endemic levels of male violence? In search of an answer, she hears heartfelt testimonies from survivors and victims’ families, and gets vital insights from social workers and psychologists who work with violent men. And she speaks to those whose voices are rarely heard in conversations about domestic violence yet hold the key to stopping it: the perpetrators themselves.
Highlighting the many ways in which AFF 2023 illustrated that the queer experience is not a monolithic one.
During the third act, the momentum stalls, largely due to the film’s obsession with Kubrick’s visual design. But all in all, Doctor Sleep is a cinematic success, defined by rich characters and high powered emotion.
A story of a magical dragon brings great representation for Chinese culture.
Although bogged down by a slow pace and moralistic intent, ‘Deadly Garage Sale’ (2022) makes the most of its silly and nonsensical premise.
Diversity is incorporated in a way that only aids in a well-rounded conveying of stories through different lenses. The show’s success is a testament to what audiences are craving: authentic stories that broaden the mind and heart.
Fire Island is the more inclusive film of the two with the bi-phobic definition of pansexuality in The Thing About Harry and its obvious lack of colour on screen